You’ve “arrived”… now what?
Reaching the C-suite may feel like an arrival. In fact, it’s just the beginning of the biggest career test you’ll face.
My clients are both seated and aspiring executives. I tell them that the C-suite is “both the summit and the storm” — a place where performance becomes politics, where clarity becomes currency and where the line between vision and vulnerability is razor-thin.
Many experts focus on the first 90 or first 100 days here, and these are crucial moments to set the tone for your tenure. (Michael Watkins has an excellent book on this time period.)
But 90 days aren’t enough to establish your credibility. You must have a strong action plan for your first 18 months in leadership. Here’s why.
C-suite turnover is highest in the first 18 months.
Data proves it. According to the Center for Creative Leadership and McKinsey, 40-50% of new leaders fail during this period. Ninety days in, everyone is still feeling out the new reality; if a new leader is going to fail, the removal will likely happen a few months later.
I’ve formally coached over a hundred leaders, many of whom were making this transition for the first time. Here are the other mistakes I see most often in that crucial first year:
Moving too fast without building relationships.
Waiting too long to establish credibility through results.
Failing to read the cultural and political dynamics that determine what’s possible.
Fortunately, these dangers are foreseeable. Here are a few plans I make with new executives as soon as they are named to their new role:
Studying the organization before you attempt to shape it. Take a “learning tour,” as one executive I coached did. He conducted one-on-ones with absolute humility, asking:
What’s working well (that I should protect)?
What’s not working (that needs attention)?
What advice would you give me as I step into this role?
The patterns that emerged gave him a road map for what to work on.
Establishing early wins. This is not the time for showboating — it’s time to earn credibility by choosing an early, small, visible achievement that will matter to stakeholders.
Choosing your priorities. I coach clients to distinguish “balcony time” from “dance-floor time”; from the balcony, you can foresee risks and opportunities. On the dance floor, you get hands-on with individual decisions that will drive immediate progress. You need to spend time in both places, or you’ll get stuck in one.
After about six months, you’ll have earned some trust. The next twelve months determine whether you transform that credibility into lasting impact.
If I were mentoring you at this stage, here’s what we’d pay close attention to:
Stay teachable. Ask questions even when you think you know the answer. Seek feedback even when it’s uncomfortable. The executives who sustain success remain students of their environment.
Guard your calendar. The way you spend time reveals what you truly value. If strategy matters, block time for strategic thinking. If relationships matter, invest in your team’s growth.
Project calm authority. People take cues from how you handle ambiguity. When you’re composed, they stay focused. When you’re reactive, they panic. Your emotional state becomes the team’s.
Your first 18 months in the C-suite are not the time to be the smartest person in the room. It’s not the time to work the longest hours. This may sound counterintuitive, but it’s about enabling others to succeed, creating calm clarity and building trust.
Getting into the C-suite is an achievement. Staying there with integrity and impact is what defines a career.
Opinions expressed by SmartBrief contributors are their own.
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